Virelay is the English version of the French word,
virelai. It is a form from the French of the 11th & 12th centuries.
There are at least four versions: the
virelai, the
virelai nouveau, the
virelay ancien, and what might be called a
virelai-ballad.
The form has a myriad of definitions, ranging from those of the original to the newest version. But like most poetic forms, they each have their own endearing qualities. Take for example the
virelay that by one definition is closely related to the ballad.
Virelays are mostly written in tercets that rhyme
aab,bbc. But some modern virelay could be written in stanzas or lines of indeterminate length and number. Some examples: aab bbcbbc ccd ddadda, or, a2a2b6, or a8a8b4. The only true requirement is that the
last rhyme of any stanza (or tercet) becomes the
same rhyme for the first line of the
next, and that typically from stanza to stanza the lines that differ in rhyme also differ in length. Therefore in quatrains it would become a8b6a8b6, b8c6b8c6, c8d6c8d6, in cinquains it would become a8a8b6a8b6, or a8b6a8b6b6,...and so on, where the numbers represent the number of syllables per line. the values could be switched, shortened or lengthened. There are some
virelays that make the tercet the standard by making the rhyme scheme aabaab, bbcbbc, etc., and some have very short lines between 2 and 6 syllables long.
You might say that there is just so much information about the
virelay, that it can confuse you. But here are a few links, to get you started:
The definitions here refer to older resources and provide English examples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virelai"]Virilaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virelai_ancienhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virelai_nouveauHere is a newer version, which could be called
virelai-ballad:http://www.poeticbyway.com/gl-uv.html#virelayhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virelayHere is the only one that I can find that I have written, even though I think I'd written more that were lost when I had a computer melt-down!
essaie virelai1Perhaps one might say
that to write
virelaiis a bit
d'une tâche compliqué,2for it is a buffet,
but don't quit...
for at first, if you sit
just a while to permit
your old brain
to retool and refit
then you'll stir up your wit;
don't complain.
Without pain there's no gain,
(Do I hear an Amen! ?
Shout it out!)You will not go insane
and will soon ascertain
without doubt
that you
can. Don't go pout,
'cause, you'll figure it out;
it will pay.
There will not be a drought
on your parchment; you'll spout
doux verset.3© MLee Dickens'son 21 Nov 2008
virelai simple ancien1 = trying virelai
2 = a complicated task
3 = sweet verse